Three more teams have been sent home from StarSeries 5 on the final day of the initial Swiss stage.
With six teams sitting on 1-2 records, the first three matches of the day were all-important eliminators. By the end of today, six of the twelve remaining teams will have gone home.
In what could be considered an upset, GODSENT eliminated Tyloo in the opening match of the day. The Chinese side looked set to impress after an opener win against Natus Vincere 2-0, but losses to Mousesports and Ninjas in Pyjamas left them teetering.
Tyloo took the early advantage with a 16-12 win on Mirage after an 11-4 half. That dominance was short-lived though, as GODSENT roared back on Overpass. The Swedes won seven straight rounds to start the match and closed out a 13-2 half. With Tyloo bracing themselves for a comeback, GODSENT swiftly put them away with three quick rounds to immediately level the series.
That sent the match to a third map, Inferno, but the story was the same. GODSENT were firing on all cylinders and claimed another 13-2 half. Tyloo showed a few more signs of life this time, getting up to seven rounds before GODSENT could finish them off.
Virtus Pro were also sent home after a disappointing tournament. What looked like an upset loss to AGO might now not be in context—the rival Polish side are undefeated so far. VP sent Gambit packing on day two, but ran into Na`Vi in round three.
In the eliminator VP faced Renegades, and the two teams played out an intriguing series. Renegades looked comfortable on Train with a 16-7 victory, even though that was VP’s map pick. That put them in a great position to sweep, but VP dominated Renegades’ pick instead. That win on Inferno led to a final map on Cache with both teams putting everything on the line. Renegades took the initiative and though VP ran them close, the Australian side are the ones staying alive.
In the other early eliminator NRG Esports continued their resurgence from the lower bracket with a strong win over Hellraisers. After a 16-3 rout on Overpass things were a little bit closer on Inferno.
NRG opened with six unanswered rounds, but Hellraisers were able to put together a five-round streak of their own before NRG claimed four in a row to end the half 10-5 in an odd scoring half. Hellraisers did get the score to 10-9, but were once again unable to overtake NRG. The American team put the series to bed 16-3 to join the 2-2 score group for the final round.
On the other side of the bracket, Ninjas in Pyjamas joined AGO Esports and SK Gaming in the playoff bracket with a 2-0 win over North. The analyst desk all predicted a sweep for the Danes, but NiP proved they can never be counted out.
Once the last two 2-1 matches conclude, Mousesports vs. Na`Vi and AVANGAR vs. Team Liquid, the final six teams will meet in one final Swiss round to complete the playoff bracket.
